Elemental Magick
by Neko-chan -Silvered Tongue
Summary: AU. Reading one word from a book can't hurt, can it? But what happens if that one word summons the Elemental of Darkness...and now Yuugi is STUCK with him. Words can bring more trouble than one person ever expected. YY/Y; YB/R; [S/J]
1. YAMI Darkness

Elemental Magick

By: Neko-chan

  
  


A/N: Cutsy and funny new Yami Yuugi/Yuugi romance by yours truly! =^_^= I'm _almost_ positive that this is an original idea. Not quite--but almost positive. Also, planning on updating chapter thirteen for "Youth of the Nation" by Thursday, Feb. 6. Be on the lookout for it! ^_~ Besides that, when I get further into this story and "Youth of the Nation," I'm planning on starting another YY/Y fic called "Djinn O' Mine." Yami Yuugi is a djinn (genie) that Yuugi finds in Sugoroku's attic. Great fun to write, I can promise you that. Anyway, enjoy! *huggles to all*

WARNING: SHOUNEN-AI! That means GuyXGuy Romance! Don't like it, then please don't read. Yami Yuugi/Yuugi. I MAY have a little bit of Yami Bakura/Ryou IF enough people ask. Unless it happens...this fic will deal only with Yami Yuugi/Yuugi. Enjoy! =^_~=

Dedicated To: Pikachumaniac. You know why, PM. *glomps* =^_^=

DISCLAIMER: I no own. You no sue. The end. Everyone happy.

  
  
  
  


Chapter One

Have you ever had that feeling? You know, the feeling that comes before a extremely important event in your life occurs? That event may be good or bad--it doesn't really matter in the end--but the niggling, 'pay-attention-to-me!' feeling still comes. Nothing ever makes that feeling go away. Nothing _can_ ever make that feeling go away. And so that feeling remains, urging you to pay attention to it because... Well, because your life is about to change forever.

And yet... For the most part, people ignore that feeling. It's not always a very smart thing to do, but people still continue to ignore the feeling. But what happens when the feeling comes...and your life changes forever?

Ah.

Chaos and magick, of course.

~ * ~

"Elemental Magick, by Arashi Kenji," Yuugi read aloud as he stared down at the dusty old book he held in his hands. It was old, true--very old. The leather binding and cover were cracking with age, peeling away to show the material under the covering. The title and author had been written in old ink--and that had almost faded away with time.

Slowly opening the cover, Yuugi began to flip through the book, scanning page after page. True, he couldn't read a word of the script--it looked as if it had been written in some Celtic language, probably Gaelic by the looks of it--but there were pictures on every page. And they were stunning in their detail.

Suddenly, though, the page froze in mid-flip and Yuugi was left staring at a page that had been almost completely inked in...except for a pair of intently staring ruby eyes. The young boy gasped and almost dropped the book. It... It had felt as if the eyes had been looking straight at HIM. As if they were looking into the depths of his soul. But that wasn't possible, was it? ...was it?

It was then that Yuugi noticed that underneath the dark painting, a space had been cleared away for more writing. One word, to be specific: Yami. What did that mean? Yuugi wasn't sure and his frown deepened as he thought.

"Yami..." he whispered aloud, still lost in thought.

And the world erupted in darkness.

  
  


"Wh... Where am I?" the small boy cried out, staring with wide-eyes at the endless oblivion around him. The darkness seemed to continue on forever, never-ending, and all encompassing. Yuugi was terrified to move because he believed that if he moved--even if it was just a single inch--he would be swallowed up by the darkness for all of eternity.

He didn't know how right he was.

"You are here, with me, in MY home," a deep voice taunted from the blackness. The voice seemed to come from everywhere...and yet nowhere at the very same time. Its timbre and quality were swallowed up by the darkness--but its emotions rang true. Fury. Hatred. Frustration. And yet... Curiosity, also. 

"Who are you?" Yuugi called out. He didn't know where the voice was coming from, so he screamed into the blackness surrounding him. He was scared, but the voice didn't know that--yet.

The voice spoke again. "You called for me. And I came, as I am bound to do. As I always do. And yet... The question remains: Now that you've managed to call the Elemental of Darkness, just what are you planning on doing with me?" The voice's speaker suddenly materialized and Yuugi was left staring at a person almost identical to himself. But the eyes... The eyes were ruby red, catching and holding his gaze with a hypnotic power of their own.

"I...am Yami."

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


A/N: Hai, hai, hai. Short chapter, I know. But this is actually more of a teaser than anything else. Next chapter and chapters following it will be longer. Next chapter you'll also learn how Yuugi got his hands on the spellbook and just what, exactly, Yami is. Explanations will come, I promise. Until then...review and make a cat-girl happy, onegai? =^_^=


	2. YUME Dream

Elemental Magick

By: Neko-chan

  
  


A/N: =^_^= I'm really glad that everyone liked chapter one. True, I got yelled at because it was short... -.-;; But still---!!! People liked it. Anyway, this chapter will be longer and I'll be able to explain a lot of stuff in this chapter. Enjoy!

Dedicated To: Pikachumaniac.

WARNING: Shounen-ai! YY/Y (maybe Y/YY) and possibly YB/R if enough people request.

DISCLAIMER: *evil grin*

Black Magician: -.-;; You're going to make me do this again, aren't you?

Yup! And from now on, too. Heh.

BM: *sighs* Neko-chan doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!. (For this much, we can be thankful for.) She does own seasons one and two in the original Japanese format, though. (You should have seen how much she screamed when they finally came. Oi.) Anyway, please don't try to sue Neko-chan because she'll probably send me after you. There. I'm done.

... _ Smart aleck.

  
  
  
  


Chapter Two

"...Yami?" Yuugi whispered, taking a step backward. "Yami? But how can you be Yami? That's Darkness."

The youth before Yuugi smiled slightly and inclined his head. "True, Yami means Darkness. And that's what I am. I'm an Elemental. The Elemental that reigns over Darkness, to be more specific. That's why I am called Yami. I AM Darkness."

"Demo... What's an Elemental? And where are we?"

The Elemental's smile broadened and he snapped his fingers. Suddenly, cool light flooded the area around Yuugi and he sank into a sitting position happily. "I am an Elemental. Elementals are creatures of nature who control specific aspects of nature. Fire, Air, Earth, Water, and so on. I'm one of the more powerful Elementals and so I can actually control several. But I reign over Darkness. Hence...Yami. And you are here, in my own world."

Yuugi sighed unhappily and rubbed his forehead. "Elementals? I don't get any of this."

Still smiling at the boy, Yami folded his legs underneath his body and sat down next to the much-smaller Yuugi. "This is my world. Here, Darkness rules all. It isn't evil, as so many people are led to believe. It's a part of nature. It just IS. As you and I are."

"You are here because you summoned me. From the looks of it, you said my name aloud while reading from an old book, ne?" Yuugi looked up in surprise and nodded. "Good. That means you have at least a little bit of magick in you if you were able to summon me so easily. That book actually belonged to a very powerful sorceress. She was killed by her rival, however. And yet---before she died, she was able to capture the rulers of the various Elementals and seal them in her book."

"But what has this got to do with me? I couldn't read any of the book. It was written in a completely different language. All I was doing was paging through the book until I came to your picture. And then I said your name aloud. I don't know _anything_!"

Yami blinked and he finally looked at Yuugi curiously, cupping his chin in his palms. "I have a question for you, Yuugi."

The boy blinked. 'How does he know my name?' he thought, chewing on his lower lip. "Hai?" he slowly began, never taking his gaze away from the creature known as 'Yami.'

"When you were paging through the book, did the pages freeze when they finally came to my picture?" Intense ruby eyes seemed to burn a hole into Yuugi and he flinched away from them.

"Hai. It did. Why?"

Yami was silent for a long moment. When he finally answered, all he said was: "Ah." Yuugi waited patiently for Yami to continue, but he didn't. All he did was continue to stare intently at Yuugi with those strange eyes of his. No emotion was revealed in those eyes.

"Y... Yami? What do we do now?" Yuugi tentatively asked, still chewing on his lower lip while trying to avoid Yami's ruby gaze. For some reason, Yami's eyes made Yuugi uncomfortable. He didn't understand any of this---would he ever?

"Hmmm... Actually, before I answer that question, I have a question of my own. Where did you find that book that contained my name?" If it was possible, Yami's gaze seemed to intensify. Yuugi squirmed uncomfortably.

"I... I was in our town library, doing research for a paper that's coming up. I don't know why, but I've felt restless all day. I finally felt better when I left the section that I was in and made my way over towards the part of the library that your book was placed in. The funny thing was... The book didn't have a call number or anything. Strange, ne?"

Yami didn't bother to answer the boy; he just continued to stare with those unnerving eyes of his. 'How strange. Could it be possible that this boy not only managed to summon me but the whole book as well? If so, how is that even possible? Only Arashi Kenji-sama should have been able to do so. And he isn't one of her descendants---I would have known right away if that was the case. The only way that I can think of is...'

'Hn. It may be. It may just be.'

"Ne... Yuugi, do you ever get strange feelings? Do you ever know about something---absolutely, mind you---before it's had a chance to occur? Around the full moon, does your skin feel too tight for your body? As if something deep inside of you is almost bursting to come out...and your skin is the only thing keeping it inside..."

As Yami spoke, Yuugi's eyes continued to widen, until white showed all around his violet irises. All of which Yami had spoke of... Everything that he had mentioned... It was all true. The thing was, though, no one was supposed to know all of this. Yuugi had never told anyone these things---not even Ji-chan.

"H---How did you know all of this?" he whispered, leaning towards Yami, never taking his eyes off of the older and darker youth. He didn't know it, but his own eyes were as intense as Yami's pair.

Tilting his head to one head, Yami smiled and answered him. "You were able to summon the book to yourself, Yuugi. True, you didn't mean to do it, but that just makes it even more amazing. Unconsciously...you called the book to yourself. Do you have any idea of just how strong you are, Yuugi? Anyway, that doesn't matter just now. When you opened the book, you basically signed a contract, Yuugi."

"A... A contract?"

"Hai. You called the book to yourself, Yuugi. That means that the book now belongs to you. Arashi Kenji-sama worked the spell that way. She wanted the person who came after her to be worthy. And when you opened the book, Yuugi, you made it yours. But that's not it."

"...it's not, Yami?"

"Iie. When you spoke my name aloud, you made another contract. You bonded myself to you. We're inseparable now, Yuugi. I belong to you." Yami suddenly grinned and winked. "And _still_ that's not it, Yuugi."

By this time, Yuugi was looking a little bit frazzled. (Understandably, of course.) "I... It's not? What else could there possibly be?" He blinked and his eyes glazed over a little bit.

"Ano... Well, you see, Arashi Kenji-sama was murdered before she could finish capturing all of the Elementals." He winced. "You see, I was the only one that she had managed to capture. And that means that you have to capture all of the rest."

Yuugi's eyes glazed over a bit more. "Why?"

"Because I am Yami. I AM Darkness. You need to capture all of the other reigning Elementals before everything becomes too unbalanced. It didn't matter overmuch when I was sealed---but that was because all of the other reigning Elementals were sealed away, also. But now that you've awakened me...and bonded me to you, also...all of the other reigning Elementals will soon awaken."

"...honto..."

Yami winced. 'Ne, he's in shock. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea...' The Elemental blinked. "Hai. And since you called the book to you and bonded me to you...it's your responsibility to continue where Arashi Kenji-sama left off. If not, then the Elementals will be set free to destroy the Earth. Fire will ravage it. Earth will rise up and swallow cities whole. And Water will come to cover everything. But this isn't all---these are just the three main Elementals. There are more."

Yuugi blinked and his gaze focused. "More? What do you mean by 'more'?"

Yami shrugged and gestured to the darkness around them. "There are more than just four Elements, Yuugi. Can't you see that I am one of them? Yami. Not a lot of people think about it, but Yami and Hikari are perhaps the strongest Elements in existence. For, from them, all things come."

"Hikari...?" Yuugi whispered and nibbled on a thumb nail. It was strange, but why did that one single word sound so familiar? It was almost like one of his 'feelings'...but not quite. What was so important about that one word? Yami. And Hikari. 

Iie! There was something that he was forgetting about all of this... Something that he HAD to know... Something that was _trying_ to make itself known...but he just couldn't realize it. Kuso.

"Yami...and Hikari. Darkness and Light. If you're Darkness, which is more powerful? You or Light?"Yuugi asked absently, still chewing on a fingernail as he thought. He really and truly didn't expect Yami to answer him.

"I don't know. I've never found the reigning Elemental for Hikari...and I don't believe that I ever will. And yet... I just can't help but wish that I DID have the ability to meet him or her. It would have been nice to finally have seen which of us is stronger. If either of us is stronger, anyway..."

"Ah... But, Yami, where do we go from here?"

Yami continued to tilt his head to one side, staring at his new 'master' curiously. "Well, there's only one way to go from here, Yuugi. I return us back to your own world, you take the book, and you begin to study magick. You'll need the knowledge later on. Trust me on this. And I'll come with you. Always."

"Demo... Yami, why am I the one who must find the Elementals?"

The ruby gaze flickered away from one moment. "Ne... Trust me on this one, Yuugi. You won't go finding the Elementals. They'll come to you, drawn by your power and my presence. All it'll take is time. Anyway, you're the one to capture the Elementals because you summoned the book and you summoned me. Yami. Darkness."

Yuugi sighed unhappily and looked at Yami with pleading eyes. "I don't suppose you have the power of Time and are able to reverse everything, do you?"

"Iie, I don't. But if you study enough, you'll be able to accomplish that on your own. Hmmm... Come to think of it, that power might actually come in handy while capturing the Elementals. After all, freezing a huge tidal wave when it's about to hit you would be a good thing, ne, Yuugi-sama?"

Yuugi whimpered. "Ne, why ME???" He paused for a moment and blinked. "And don't call me -sama."

Yami laughed, his gaze finally lightening for a moment. "Hai, hai, hai. And... Don't worry, Yuugi. Everything will be alright. You just have to trust in yourself and in your own heart. You were, after all, able to summon the book and myself. And I'm sure that the Elementals will soon come to Domino."

"That's what I'm afraid of..." the smaller boy whispered and hung his head in his hands.

Darkness shook his head and sighed. "Don't worry about it, Yuugi. Just start studying. Anyway, I think it's about time that you returned home, ne?" And, with that, he snapped his fingers...and Yuugi was alone, sitting on the library floor. The boy blinked in shock, rubbing at his eyes. It was true---he was back. And he was alone.

"A... A dream?"


	3. MAJIKKU Magick

Elemental Magick

By: Neko-chan

  
  


A/N: Wheee~!!! *happy hyper genki dance* Anyway, I'm really glad that everyone likes this so far! And I know that it's a little bit confusing right now, but I promise that everything will become clearer later on. 'Kay? 'Kay. Also--for those of you who read "Youth of the Nation" and "What Is Forever?"...upcoming update will be next Wednesday, Feb. 19. So keep your eyes open for it! ^_~

WARNING: Will contain shounen-ai! Main pairing is Yami Yuugi/Yuugi. And, since enough people asked for it--the other pairing will be Yami Bakura/Ryou. Hee. ^_^

DISCLAIMER: Oh, Black Magiciaaaaaaaan...

BM: *pouts* Why am _I_ always the one who ends up doing your disclaimers???

... ^_^

BM: -.-;; Neko-chan doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!. She does own seasons one and two (for all of those who asked, she got them at ). Luckily for us, Neko-chan DOESN'T own Yu-Gi-Oh!. From the types of stories she writes, she would completely ruin it and humiliate her favorite characters while she was at it. So, rejoice.

... _

  
  
  
  


Chapter Three

"A... A dream?" Yuugi repeated, staring about himself with wide, violet eyes. The experience that he had just went through seemed too real to be a dream, but... If no one was here now, and there was no book, then it HAD to have been a dream...right? Shaking his head slightly to clear it, he put his hand down onto the floor to push himself up. And his fingers encountered old, crackling leather.

Yuugi's already wide eyes widened further and he slowly looked down, already knowing what he was about to see. The title "Elemental Magick" seemed to scream up at him. Yelping slightly, the small boy scooted backwards on his behind, trying to get as far away from the book as possible. "Iie!" he wailed. "Iie! It HAD to have been a dream! It HAD to be!!!"

But the book stayed where it was, looking as innocent as any other book in the library. The only thing that made it differ from all of the others was its apparent age--whole pieces of it peeling away with mildew and the passage of years.

However, Yuugi knew better. The book wasn't innocent--not at all.

Shivering slightly, he crawled forward and held out a shaking hand, reaching for the book. Wincing slightly, he touched the cover. And nothing happened. Smiling slightly in relief, Yuugi picked up the book and stood up, at once making his way towards the nearest bookshelf. Finding at empty slot, the young boy slid the book onto the bookshelf.

"Gomen nasai," he whispered to the leather binding. Whether he was talking to the book or to himself, he didn't know for sure. "Gomen ne. I... I just can't. You picked the wrong person to come to. I'm not strong and I don't know anything about magick. Like I said, you picked the wrong person. I... I am sorry. ...you were a dream. From this point on, you _were_ a dream. Good-bye."

That said, Yuugi turned around and practically ran out of the library, desperate to reach home and the Game Shop--places that were comfortable to him and that he had grown up in. He just had to get _away_. And so he ran.

What he didn't notice was the dark figure leaning against the bookshelf, watching Yuugi as he ran. Once the boy was out of sight, the figure righted himself and looked at the book. "Well," he said and gestured idly to the book. It slid out of its slot and made its way towards him, bobbing a little bit in the air as it did so. "So what do you think of him?" The book flapped its pages angrily. The figure laughed. "Hai, true--very true. But you can't blame him, can you? You thrust this upon him and now he's dealing with this as any other teenager would...he's running away. And now it's time to make amends. So, shall we?" The book seemed to hesitate for a moment, then disappeared in a blinding flash of light.

The figure smiled slightly and followed the book's example--but his light was black.

~ * ~

"Ji-chan! I'm home now!" Yuugi yelled into the silent house as he stepped through the doorway. Smelling dinner cooking, he grinned happily and slipped out of his shoes, tossing his backpack down next to them. Still hearing no answer, Yuugi tried again. "Ji-chan! I'm home!"

"Hai, hai, Yuugi! I'm in the Game Shop! Come over here, we got some new cards in today. And I know you'll especially like this one!" his Ji-chan called back, his voice muffled by the closed doorway that separated the Game Shop from their house.

"Nani, Ji-chan?" Yuugi asked as he popped his head through the doorway. His Ji-chan smiled broadly at him and waggled his eyebrows.

"Weeell... I don't know if I should give this to you," Ji-chan mused aloud, stroking his chin in thought as he looked at Yuugi out of the corner of his eyes. Grinning mischievously to himself, he pulled Black Magician out of his pants pocket.

And Yuugi's eyes practically bugged out of his head. "Nani?! You HAVE to give me Black Magician, Ji-chan! You _know_ that it's my favorite card! Onegai? Onegaaaaaai??"

Ji-chan finally burst out laughing. "Hai, Yuugi. It's all yours. But first..."

Instantly, the smaller boy became suspicious. "Hai, Ji-chan?" Ji-chan NEVER gave away anything without getting anything in return. And since Yuugi had no money, that only meant one thing... Ji-chan wanted Yuugi to do chores. Chores that he probably hated. And that meant that he would be doing either gardening, dishes, or house-cleaning if he wanted that Black Magician.

"Well, Yuugi... It's all yours if you agree to do dishes for a month," Ji-chan finally replied, his grin broadening further. He did know how much Yuugi hated doing dishes--and that was the fun of it all.

Upon hearing his...DOOM...Yuugi's jaw dropped. "A MONTH, Ji-chan?! Anything but a month! Two weeks??" Ji-chan shook his head, still grinning broadly. Sighing in defeat, Yuugi continued: "Alright, alright. I'll do the dishes for a month. ...can I have Black Magician now?"

Ji-chan seemed to pause for a moment more--and Yuugi was almost bouncing up and down in his excitement. Then, sighing as if it was the most difficult decision of his life...Ji-chan handed the Black Magician card to Yuugi.

"YATTA!" he exclaimed and quickly ran out of the room to go upstairs. He had just been given a rare, powerful, and--of course--his most favorite card. He was going to do what any other card-obsessed (but otherwise sane) teenager would have done...he was going to add it to his already existing deck. "DOMO ARIGATOU!!!" he called down the stairs before he shut the door to his room.

Ji-chan stared up after Yuugi. "Aaah... To be young again," he said, smiling. Then he went back to running the shop, the grin still fixed onto his face.

"Wai, wai, wai, wai, wai, wai~!!!" Yuugi chortled happily as he made his way across the room to his desk, where he kept his cards. And then he paused, staring at the bed with wide eyes. "...nani? What are _you_ doing here?"

Yami stood up from his lounging position, his smile just a tad bit mocking. "You bonded me to you, Yuugi. There is no possible way for you to get ride of me. You're stuck with me. ...and with the book, also. It chose you to be its new master." He shrugged. "It won't be very easy to get rid of it. Just look in your card drawer."

Yuugi shot Yami a dark look, then edged towards the drawer, his hands trembling slightly as he reached out to open the drawer. And there the book lay, looking innocent as it rested next to his cards. The boy nearly burst into tears.

"What are you doing here? I thought I was able to get rid of you... I... I don't want any of this..." he whispered down to the leather-bound volume.

"And I told you that it isn't that easy to get rid of the two of us," Yami spoke up once again. "For better or for worse, we're yours now."

"I just don't want to have to fight..." Yuugi whispered softly, reaching down to trail a pale finger down the cover of the book. Once his finger touched the book, it lit up with a bright, flashing light. The boy yelped in surprise and fell backwards, landing on his behind for the second time that day. When the light finally faded away...

...Black Magician stood in front of him.

"What... What is this?" the violet-eyed voice managed to gasp out while he stared up at the imposing figure above him. Just as suddenly, Yami appeared next to the Black Magician. He tilted his head to one side and stared down at Yuugi with shaded ruby eyes.

"Like I said, Yuugi. You had enough magickal power to call the book to you. You had enough power to summon me. Not only that, but you had enough power to bond me to you. We are yours...forever. The book sensed your love and your loyalty to Black Magician and decided to summon him for you. This is one of the book's powers. Making inanimate objects animate. Calling the spirits--spirits control various aspects of nature, but aren't Elementals themselves. You'll be able to do all of this and more. But only if you chose to accept this."

"I... I just can't..." was Yuugi's reply.

Yami didn't answer him. He just continued to stare at Yuugi with those intense ruby eyes of his. Finally, he smiled slightly and stepped to one side. In the spot where he had just been standing, the magick book floated, making its way closer to the scared boy. "Open it, Yuugi," Yami commanded. Without thinking, Yuugi did so. And instead of the Gaelic writing that he had expected, the book had managed to change its writing into Japanese. "Read."

Yuugi read.

~To the one person who has managed to call my book to you: I greet you. My name is Arashi Kenji. I am the authoress of this book and I am the person who had managed to seal Yami away before I died. I know that this sounds strange to you, but I put a little bit of my spirit into this book before I died. I wanted to look after it for a time because it means so much to me.

When I was about to die, I finally decided upon a successor. I didn't want one of my descendants--they would have become bloated with magickal power and greed, caring only for themselves and to gain more magick. Instead, I wanted a successor who had a pure heart, a strong magickal talent, and who wasn't jaded by the world. I wanted someone pure. The criteria to meet sounds hard to do so, right? Well, you would be correct. But that's why my successor is so important. It's because it's you.

This all seems to strange to you--I know that it does so you need not explain anything to me. This would have probably been the first time you've ever encountered magick, right? And yet... That's not true, is it? Think of all the weird feelings, the strange dreams, deja vu, the knowing certain things before they happened... Haven't you ever wondered about all of these things, Heir? You must have.

The reason why my successor is so important is because I wanted someone who would love the magick as much as I did. Someone who would cherish it and the many other things that came along with it--familiars included. When I say familiar, I mean... Well, something that means the most to you. Most of the time it's an animal. But for you I sense that your familiar will be something different. Say... A card that becomes animate, perhaps? (You can close your mouth right about now. Flies will go in if you're not careful. And it's not that hard to see into the future. You'll learn very soon, this I can promise.)

Upcoming events will be very hard for you. I've given you a difficult path. But I know that you will try your hardest, whether you win or lose. Maybe... Maybe that's why I finally decided upon you as my successor. Maybe... But that's not important right now. I have faith in you, Mutou Yuugi. And I know that everything will turn out alright in the end. Good luck to you, my Successor. Good luck.

Merry met, merry part, and merry meet again.~

Yuugi blinked and slowly closed the book. He looked up at the animated card and at Darkness himself...and he said the very first thing that came to his mind: "Black Magician is my _familiar_???"


	4. KANASHIMI Sorrow

Elemental Magick

By: Neko-chan

  
  


A/N: Eh... Gomen nasai about taking so long to update! But I promise to update this more often, ne? *huggles reviewers* Domo arigatou for all the nice, wonderful, and _very_ helpful reviews, minna-san! I love reading each and every one of them! ^_~ Ja ne and see you in chapter five! (BTW--"Youth of the Nation" WILL be updated on either Sunday or Monday (March 9th or 10th). And, as always, this is dedicated to Pikachumaniac. Luv ya, PM! ^_~

DISCLAIMER: Blackie-chan! Blackie-chan! Blaaaaaaackie-chaaaaaaaaaaaan!!! *tackle glomps*

Black Magician: -.-;; *tries to shake Neko-chan off* ... *sighs* Neko-chan does not own Yu-Gi-Oh!. If she did, a great many anime characters would kill themselves rather than fall into her grasp. Luckily for them, they don't have to worry as such. Not so lucky for me... *tries to vainly shake her off again*

...^______________^ Blackie-chan! *glomp glomp glomp*

WARNING: Contains SHOUNEN-AI and YAOI!!! YY/Y! YB/R! (And now I'm thinking about S/J. What do you guys think? ^_~) 

  
  
  
  


Chapter Four

Yami tilted his head to one side, jumping up in the air while also crossing his legs underneath his body. The odd thing was--he did not come down. The ruby-eyed young man continued to levitate in mid-air, staring at Yuugi with those unnerving eyes of his. Yuugi blinked and then decided to dismiss it; he had a feeling that odder things would be happening to him soon enough.

"Hai, Black Magician is your familiar," Yami finally replied, still giving Yuugi that penetrating glance. "Familiars actually vary from person to person--it all depends on what they love most. You love Black Magician and so he ended up being your familiar. The power that the book finally awakened in you allowed the card to come to life. As Arashi Kenji-sama said: The power 'animated' the card. Do you find that strange, Yuugi-sama?"

Yuugi shot Yami a dark glare, frowning slightly as he made his way closer to the now-animated card. "Iie, I don't," he answered Yami, still moving closer. As an afterthought, he added: "And don't call me -sama, Yami."

The crimson-eyed boy decided not to deem that with an answer--the look continued on, along with that slight smile playing about his lips. Floating closer, he watched Yuugi over the smaller boy's shoulder as he came closer to the animated card.

"You... You really ARE the Black Magician, aren't you?" Yuugi softly asked, looking up into the much taller figure's eyes. The Black Magician smiled slightly and inclined his head. At this, Yuugi's small frown darkened. "What's wrong? Can't you talk? Is there anything I can do to help you?"

Yami propped his chin onto his hands, his smile brightening as he did so. Slowly, his eyelids lowered until they became half-lidded, veiling his thoughts and emotions to the world around him. "Yuugi... Instead of speaking with your mouth and your tongue, try speaking with your mind and your heart."

Yuugi blinked and looked at the floating figure over his shoulder. "Nani? With my mind and my heart? What do you mean? I don't understand!"

Darkness just continued to smile that slightly amused, black smile.

Sighing heavily, the small boy shot Yami one more glare before he once again returned his full attention on the Black Magician. He bit his lip in worry, but took a step forward, anyway. 'Speak with my mind and my heart... How in the world am I expected to do THAT?!' he wailed silently to himself. As if sensing his despair, the Black Magician held out a hand, still staring at Yuugi with his dark eyes. Yami had dark eyes--but the look in HIS eyes was mocking and just a little bit sadistic. Mischievous? Certainly. But the Black Magician looked at Yuugi as if he... Well, as if he _trusted_ Yuugi.

With that thought firmly lodged in his mind, Yuugi reached a hand forward and touched the Black Magician's hand, palm facing palm. And what happened next shocked the newly made sorcerer worse than anything that had happened previously.

~Kon'nichi wa, Yuugi-san,~ a dark presence rumbled through his mind. Yuugi shivered in reaction and instinctively closed his inner barriers. The presence withdrew slightly and Yuugi sensed the hurt radiating from it. It was only then that Yuugi realized that the dark presence was actually the Black Magician--_but in his mind_. Feeling his revelation within his new companion, the Black Magician tentatively approached once more. ~Yuugi-san?~

Yuugi blinked once again. ~H... Hai, Black Magician?~ A slow ribbon of thought unwound away from his main 'body' (if it could be called such a thing), gently touching the black mass that was the Black Magician as it stretched away from 'himself' (was that the proper thing to call him--himself--something--he didn't know what--in this mental landscape? Was there really a 'him' here??).

The card's delight at having been recognized was a rainbow in his mind. It was beautiful to look upon and it filled Yuugi with a warm feeling knowing that _he_ caused the Black Magician to feel this way. 

Yuugi smiled and his thought-tendril-body danced happily around the Black Magician, touching the black mass every so often, taking comfort in the fact that this was actually happening. This--all of this--was _real_. And still--the Black Magician's delight and happiness sparkled in the mental landscape like a rainbow. Yuugi began to think that it _was_ a rainbow.

As if sensing this thought, the Black Magician paused. ~I... I am sorry, Yuugi-san.~

Yuugi paused and looked at the Black Magician quizzically. ~Nani? Why?~

~I am sorry that I am not yet strong enough to talk to you as regular people do. I will not be able to do so until you and I both become stronger. Until then, this is the only way we can communicate. And yet...~

~Nani, Black Magician?~

~I worry for you. Apparently, as you have learned, you have accidently released Darkness. I... I am not worried so much as overly concerned. You must find his counterpart and find it soon. This will not make much sense to you now, but you will soon understand it...you will soon understand it all. Every single thing in this universe--and beyond, I might add--has its counter-part. This counter-part is usually the opposite of what _it_ is. Ultimate Yin and Yang--the basic principle and theory, at least. Yami and Hikari, to name the best known. Order and Chaos. Love and Hatred. You may not think it, but those are Elementals, too. They exist in this world and so they must be caught by you.~

The small boy looked up at the Black Magician, a small frown marring his pale face. ~Nani? I... I don't understand what you're trying to tell me, Black Magician. Gomen nasai--but I don't.~

A small smile flitted across his mind--Black Magician was smiling at him. But why did it feel like a _sad_ smile, though? ~Never mind that, Yuugi-san. All will become known to you in time. In time, you will be... Well, never mind about all that. But I do believe that it is time for us to go now.~

Yuugi's frown deepened. ~Alright. Demo...~

~Nani, Yuugi-san?~

~Onegai... Onegai, don't call me Yuugi-san. Yami sometimes calls me Yuugi-sama. Demo... I'm not either. I'm just Yuugi.~

~...hai... ...Yuugi...~

At this, Yuugi's eyes opened and his hand slowly dropped away from the Black Magician's. A bright black light surrounded the animated card and then quickly shrunk, becoming smaller and smaller...until all that was left was a plain Duel Monsters card, lying innocently on the carpet. The violet-eyed boy didn't say anything, just stooped down to pick up the card. Still silent, he opened his desk's drawer and took out the deck of cards, placing Black Magician on the top of the pile. And then he placed the deck in his back pocket.

A voice interrupted the dark of the night: "_That_ is how you speak with your heart and with your mind, Yuugi."

The small boy smiled to himself and stepped up to his window, staring out at the dark street below. "Hai... I now know what you meant." He smiled happily for one brief moment. "I'm glad that I got the chance to talk with him--and I know that I'll be able to talk with him whenever I want. And yet... Something about all of this bothers me."

Yami's lids lowered even further. "Nani, Yuugi-sama?"

"Don't call me -sama, Yami."

The smile deepened to a smirk. "Hai, Yuugi. Anyway--continue."

Yuugi sighed softly and raised one hand to press against the cool window pane. In its surface, he could see his reflection. His wide violet eyes stared back at him. But, finally, he answered Yami: "Demo... All of my life, I have been told that I have the most innocent eyes that anyone has ever seen. Sometimes... Sometimes I think that it isn't _true_ innocence, but just a reflection of it. Or maybe it's just an illusion that I have either placed around myself...or others wish to see IN me. I don't know anymore..."

A small sound escaped the floating ruby-eyed boy. It sounded almost like a laugh. Yuugi blinked and stared at Yami through the window pane's refection. And still, he continued on...

"Arashi Kenji mentioned something interesting in her letter to me. She told me that I've had _feelings_, deja vu, knowing things before they've actually happened. This is all true... And this is why I wonder... I've been thinking. Most people would either be in shock or in hysterics by now. But I'm calm. I'm accepting everything as it comes to me. True, I'm probably going to go into shock later on several hours from now, but I'm perfectly alright right now... Which brings me to this: If I was really and truly innocent, wouldn't I not understand what's going on around me right now? Wouldn't all of this be incomprehensible to me? So does that mean that my innocence is all just an illusion? And finally: What _is_ Innocence?"

He finally turned around and stared at Yami head-on. The small boy couldn't sense any emotion or thought drifting from the still face--but the Darkness _had_ to feel something...right? Yuugi just wished he knew what Yami was thinking. Everything was just completely and totally confusing right now....and yet everything also made amazing sense. But how could that be?

Yami's eyes finally opened completely and he stared at Yuugi with that same penetrating gaze as always. If anything, his gaze seemed to intensify. Lowering to stand on his own two feet, he slowly walked towards the violet-eyed boy.

"Yuugi... You know as well as I that I am the Elemental of Darkness. That IS what Yami means. You know that."

"...hai, Yami. I _do_ know that."

"Then how in the nine worlds could you ever possibly think that I would know what true Innocence is? Yuugi, I AM Darkness. It is how I _am_. I am black--everything about me. My mind, my power, even my heart. I don't know what true Innocence is because I was not created to understand it. There is no Innocence in me. Just as there is no Light."

Yuugi stared at Yami and a feeling that he hadn't expect overcame him--pity. Regret. Sadness. He felt sorry for Yami. A creature born of Darkness, one that _was_ Darkness...what a lonely existence that must be like. He stepped forward and amethyst met blood-ruby. "Gomen nasai, Yami. Gomen nasai."

Yami frowned and stepped away. "'Gomen nasai'? What have you to be sorry about, Yuugi?"

Before Yuugi had the chance to answer (if he could possibly even answer such a question posed by Yami), his bedroom door opened and his grandpa stuck his head in, a bright smile lighting his face.

"I'm sorry for bothering you, Yuugi, but dinner is rea..." His sentence trailed off when he finally spied Yami, his eyes widening in surprise as he did so. After all, it wasn't everyday that he found a leather-clad, buckle-wearing, ruby-eyed replica of Yuugi in his grandson's bedroom. He cleared his throat (and prayed to Kami-sama that he hadn't swallowed his tongue) and said: "Dinner is ready, Yuugi. And might I add... Who is THAT?!"


	5. Hidden Figure

Elemental Magick

By: Neko-chan

  
  


A/N: "Yes, 'Kasaan. I AM doing my homework. ... No, 'Kasaan, I am NOT lying to you..." Errr... Yeah. *sweatdrops* Anyway, enjoy the update! (It's been... how long again? ^_^;;)

WARNING: Will have SHOUNEN-AI! Why? I like shounen-ai, so: ;-p

DISCLAIMER: *to some random lawyer* You want to give me Yu-Gi-Oh!, ne? NE???

Random Lawyer: Ummm... No.

...well, damn. _

  
  
  
  


Chapter Five

Yuugi blinked, looked from his grandpa to Yami, and blinked again. "Ano... Ji-chan, this is Yami. Yami, this is my Ji-chan. I live with him and help run the Game Shop downstairs."

Ji-chan frowned once again and continued looking from one boy to the other. "Darkness...? Yuugi, why is your friend named Darkness? Yuugi--who _is_ this boy, exactly?"

The violet eyed boy sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He could feel a headache coming and he had NO idea how to explain Yami's presence without lying to his grandfather. And it wasn't as if he _wanted_ to lie to his grandfather. But--and this was the sixty-four dollar question--HOW, exactly, could he explain Yami's presence without lying? Oh, yes--there came that headache. The pinching of the bridge of his nose intensified.

It was then that Yami solved Yuugi's problem... in his own little way. "Like Yuugi-sama said, Ji-san, I am Yami. Really and truly--and literally." He smirked at that and once again jumped into the air and crossed his legs, floating at least four feet above the floor.

Ji-chan noticed this, stared at Yami for one long moment (a _very_ long moment) and promptly passed out, falling to the floor in a boneless heap.

"YAMI!!!" Yuugi wailed, running over to his fallen grandfather and quickly checking to see if he was all right. Luckily for Yami, Ji-chan was unharmed. True, the grandfather would have a bump on the head come morning, but other than that--Ji-chan was unharmed and perfectly fine. (If you ignored the fact that he had passed out from shock, anyway...)

"Nani?" Yami asked in his best innocent voice, staring at Yuugi with wide ruby eyes. It would have been a perfectly good innocent act if not for the self-satisfied smirk gracing his lips and the dark emotion boiling within his half-lidded eyes. "Nani, Yuugi-sama?"

The small boy paused, then shot out: "Don't call me -sama, Yami." Once again, Yami's smirk just deepened marginally. "Anyway, what are we going to do with Ji-chan, Yami?! We can't move him because we might hurt him!"

Yami shrugged nonchalantly. "Just leave him. He'll be perfectly fine right there for at least a _little_ while. Besides..." At this, he trailed off. "Ne, is that chow mein I smell? I'm starving!" He quickly stepped over Yuugi and Ji-chan's prone figure and made his way downstairs to the kitchen... and to the food.

"YAMI!!!"

~ * ~

The obscured figure was hidden within the tree branches--so well-hidden that no one, no matter how hard they looked, would be able to spot him. After all, it was part of his nature. Creeping and viscous, coming upon others so suddenly that they didn't realize what he was until it was too late. An Elemental superior in every way imaginable.

Or so he thought.

He smiled to himself as he watched the little sorcerer yell at Yami. It was really too bad that the little sorcerer hadn't realized what Yami truly was, either. But it didn't matter, anyway. The little sorcerer would die in several days' time. After all--HE would be the only Elemental not to be captured. And HE would be the only Elemental to defeat their only threat in over five hundred years.

Yuugi Mutou.

The figure cackled happily to itself and faded into the night.

  
  
  
  


A/N: Hai, hai, hai. An EXTREMELY short chapter... especially after this long of a wait. Gomen nasai, minna-san! But, to make it up to you, I WILL be updating this story (and most of my other chaptered fics) sometime this week, most likely on either Tuesday or Wednesday. 'Sides... I had writer's block on this particular fic. Sooo... Read, review, and see you later this week! ^_^


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